Shared past
Darcy sat on the floor of the dank room grateful for Eliot’s voice in her ear. Even though he couldn’t speak to her while he taught just hearing him was enough to soothe the tightness in her chest. She hated this room! She had been put here one to many times. Ever since her time with Armando she didn’t do well with dark spaces and silence. It was why she listened to music near constantly. It drowned out her thoughts kept the bad memories at bay. Darcy made a fist and held in a sigh. She could do this she could help the team, save her friends.
“Darcy Lou, you still with me sweetheart?”
“Yeah El, I’m here I have better lost at least ten pounds. I’m sweating my ass off down here.”
“Nah you’re perfect the way you are. I’ll make you dinner when we get out of here.”
“After the ice cream though right because you promised me ice cream.”
“I thought you made a date with that Meghan girl for ice cream?”
“Eliot I am an equal opportunity ice cream eater you both can buy me ice cream.” Eliot couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of him. “Sweetheart you’re killing me you know that.”
“Naw you’re made of muscles you’ll be fine.”
“So you noticed my muscles?” Eliot did not preen at her words. She was 17 and he certainly wasn’t blushing like a school boy.
“Please the Mars Rover noticed your muscles. So what are you going to make me for dinner? Oh can you teach me to make French onion soup?”
“Anything you want Darcy Lou.”
“I love the fancy stuff but uh comfort foods are my jam. You know things I can make for a lot of people to make them feel loved. Mrs. Sanchez could feed an army at any moment she was always ready.” Darcy sniffed a little
“Tell me about her.”
“Jesse lived a couple house down from me we’ve been playing together since we were kids but Mrs. Sanchez she’s crazy in the best way. All the neighborhood kids knew if you were hungry you went to Mrs. Sanchez. She never turned anyone away if you showed up around dinner time you ate. Taught us how to cook, to clean, to sew on a button and hem my pants. She’s small like me but when she had that look everyone fell into line. I remember this one time there was a bomb threat at the school and they got all us kids out. This one kid Aiden got scared and hid in a closet. I wasn’t going to leave him and Jesse would never leave me. Now I only heard what happened next but apparently when they couldn’t find us she went ballistic. Threatened to set the teachers on fire if they couldn’t find us. They found us real quick after that. Mrs. Sanchez didn’t treat me any different than she treated Jesse. She saw that the Lewis’s weren’t super interested in me and practically adopted me. Took me shopping for school supplies every year picked us up after school never asked for a thing.”
“Darcy, Hardison noticed that your stuff is a little older a bit well loved, what’s going on. The Lewis’s did they treat you alright.”
“They were fine El, I promise but I wasn’t really their granddaughter. Mrs. Lewis was the one who dealt with me once I turned ten and I wasn’t cute anymore. They weren’t mean to me or anything they just had their own lives. I wasn’t really part of that. I know they were worried that one day mom would stop sending money. So they had to save for that day plus once I turn 18 I wasn’t their responsibility anymore so they needed the money for their retirement.”
“Did they scrimp on their own clothes and shoes or just yours Darcy Lou?”
“It’s all good no one wants some kid dragging them down. In nine months and 14 days I’ll be 18. I’ve saved every bit of my allowance for the past six years. I’ll work through college even if I gotta shake my ass to do it.”
“You will not!”
“Excuse me” Darcy’s voice was dangerous she liked Eliot but no one was going to tell her what to do with her life.
“I uh mean you don’t have to, Sophie has money, hell Nate has money and so do I for that matter you wont have to do nothin you don’t want to. So did I ever tell you about the time I had to cater a mob wedding?”
“No way!”
“For real, So your mom brings in a friend of hers and her husbands in jail for a murder he didn’t commit. And we need proof. So Nate has this Idea to crash the daughter’s wedding. So Soph is under cover as a wedding coordinator. I’m catering and the mother of the bride is insane. Parker she made the maid of honor cry and ended up in the wedding.” As he continued to tell her about the shenanigans the team had got up to Darcy calmed down she forgot that she was alone in the dark and that she was afraid all she heard was Eliot his gruff laughter soothed something inside of her.
“Thanks El.” Her voice was soft, he wondered just what she was thanking him for. Darcy was probably scared sitting in the basement alone but of course she wouldn’t admit it. Girl had a stubborn streak a mile long just like her ma. Eliot was saved from responding by his next class coming in. It didn’t stop him from thinking though about how lonely she must have been. How desperate she was to get her independence that was willing to dance for the money she needed. It wasn’t right but he knew exactly how she felt. He had enlisted to get out his house that wasn’t always an option for everyone.
Noah West tried not to smile as he walked behind Cheryl. No doubt she was already planning on giving him as small a cut as possible but Noah had an ace up his sleeve. While the other were distracted asking coach Barker about her methods he leaned in to whisper in Cheryls ear.
“So are you planning on informing Janet about this little deal?”
Cheryl glared at Noah “No and it would do you well to keep your mouth shut. You don’t want her to find out, a five foot nothing teenager managed to knock you on your ass?”
“ Yeah I heard you caught her trying to break back in. I’ll tell you what you give me 40% of the take and Lewis. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“Forty percent are you out of your mind! Thirty percent and I don’t have your replacement make you disappear. Mr. Sinclair’s past makes yours look positively clean. He’s also taken a shine to your star pupil too. I don’t know what you see in the little tart but to each his own I guess.”
“Your jealousy is showing Cheryl and you don’t want to give Lewis to that guy he’s a brute. I know you want to send her to the Russian’s little play room. He won’t leave enough left of her to send to the French Traffickers let alone the Red Room. Twenty percent and Lewis, you can send her away when I’m done with her.”
Cheryl shook her head. Noah was a fool she was willing to give him 30 percent but he had to have Lewis. Well she would give her to him. Maybe with Lewis out of the way Mr. Sinclair would turn his eyes towards a more experienced woman.
“Deal”
“Where is she?”
“Detention of course.” Noah smirked. It couldn’t be more perfect. She’d be helpless and he could take his time teach her who was boss. He left with a salute and a smile before he slipped out the room.